Daniel Hope Wins Bounty Event at Star Sydney Poker Championships
In poker, we call it a "series saver." It means burying yourself out of a financial hole by hitting a big score as the tournament schedule nears a close.
Aussie player Daniel Hope is making a habit of it lately.
After only recording a pair of min-cashes during the Star Sydney Championships entering Sunday, Hope won the $550 Bountry Re-entry Event for $23,610, plus another $900 for the nine bounties that he collected throughout the tournament. Amazingly, Hope did the same thing in back in May when he took down the final event during the Crown Poker Championship in Melbourne.
"I seem to be good at doing that," Hope told the Star Poker Live Reporting Team. "I always manage to dig myself a decent whole throughout the series and then I need to win the last event just to finish up a winner. I did the same thing in Melbourne, I missed everything and then won the last event there. I don’t make it very easy on myself."
Hope bested 236 entrants on Sunday in the what was the last chance to compete in the Star Sydney Championships. The Main Event was already well underway and will play down to a champion on Monday to close out the series.
"I always manage to dig myself a decent whole throughout the series and then I need to win the last event just to finish up a winner."
The bounty tournament began at 2:15 p.m. local time and didn't end until after 5 a.m. on Monday morning. It was Aaron Blanch who did most of the heavy lifting at the final table, eliminating four players in a span of two hours, but less than an hour he was gone from the tournament. Here's how it played out:
On a flop of 4♠8♣10♠, Blanch moved all in with the 9♠8♠ for a pair and a flush draw and was slightly ahead of Hope, who called with the K♠6♠ for a better flush draw and an overcard. The K♦ on the turn paired Hope to give him a near clinch on the hand, and the 7♣ river sent Blanch out in third place.
Nebojsa Blanusa then doubled through Hope to take the chip lead before Hope regained the chip advantage and eventually sealed the tournament at 5:08 a.m. Blanusa tried to steal the blinds and antes by shoving his 4♣2♦ in preflop but Hope called with the A♣10♦ The 3♥8♦Q♥K♥5♦ missed both players, but Hope's ace-high was still best. Blanusa earned $14,586 plus bounties for his runner-up result.
$550 Bountry Re-entry Results
| Place | Player | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Player | Prize |
| 2 | Player | $14,586 |
| 3 | Aaron Blanch | $10,616 |
| 4 | Andy Miller | $7,851 |
| 5 | Tim Yaftali | Prize |
| 6 | Jarrod Thatcher | $4,498 |
| 7 | Khac Trung Tran | $3,483 |
| 8 | Matthew Woodwards | $2,737 |
| 9 | Adam Agresta | $2,183 |
| 10 | Sam Johnson | $1,767 |
Star Sydney Championships Conclude Monday
Action continues in at the Star Poker Room in Sydney on Monday as the $3,000 Main Event wraps up. Be sure to follow PokerNews for a recap of the exciting conclusion to the biggest event on the schedule which carried a $1 million guaranteed prize pool!
